Coopetitive portfolio configurations for product innovation: A crisp-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis

Firms create and manage coopetitive portfolios (i.e., alliance portfolios including competitors) to foster product innovation, as they provide access to various complementary but also compatible resources and knowledge that are essential for innovation. The presence of competitors in coopetitive portfolios can create specific synergies but also conflicts with other partners that could enhance or limit the occurrence of product innovation. To understand under which combinations of partner types in a coopetitive portfolio product innovation can occur, we use a crisp-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (csQCA) on a sample of 921 Dutch firms in the period 2010-2016. We show that alliances with competitors are complementary with customer alliances in promoting the occurrence of product innovation. In addition, our analysis reveals that when ties with universities are present in a coopetitive portfolio, suppliers must be present as well to introduce new products. Finally, we highlight that coopetitive portfolio configurations leading to product innovation vary according to the focal firm's size and industry dynamics.